Lighting system



June 1955 A. E. MURRAY LIGHTING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1953 INVENTOR uQZan 4E. .MLLI'] June 28, 1955 MURRAY 2,712,056

LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent LIGHTING SYSTEM Alan E. Murray, New York, N. Y.

Application January 23, 1953, Serial No. 332,820

8 Claims. (Cl. 240-4) My invention relates particularly to a system of balanced lighting.

An object of my invention is to obtain light of written or graphic subjects so that the said subjects, for example instrumental music scores, may be read more effectively and with more freedom and coordination of the bodily faculties. Another object is to attain more facility and excellence of performance with the members of the body in the operation of mechanical musical instruments while reading from the score thus illuminated.

Musicians, and especially concert pianists, frequently encounter great difliculty, and even pain, during musical renditions, by reason of visual distractions interfering with the necessary mental concentration for performance with the high level of perfection, required of such artists. It is an object of my invention to eliminate such impediments.

Further objects of my invention will be seen from the detailed description thereof hereinafter.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the purpose of illustration I have shown only one form of my invention in the accompanying drawings by way of illustration, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention shown as applied to a mechanical keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ, and utilizing preferably a directional floodlight illuminating the musical score;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a long filament bulb called a Lumilight, which is preferred in the lighting of the piano keyboard;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the directional floodlight bulb preferred in lighting the music score and which may be controlled by a rheostat or a variable transformer; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the mounting of a variable transformer on the piano bench.

In the drawings, I have shown a piano 1 having two supporting rollers 2 at the rear thereof and two legs 3 at the front. The piano 1 has the usual keyboard 4 having thereon the usual number of white keys 5 and black keys 6 extending inwardly through a shelf-like enclosure 7 in front of an upright wall 8 of the piano. Resting on the shelf 7 there is an inclined black nonreflecting light-absorbing mat-surfaced plate of cardboard 9 having a rearwardly bent middle section 10 and a downwardly bent rear section 11, the purpose of which is to prevent reflection of the light from the music score 12 supported by an inclined rack 13 on the piano 1, and from the surface of the piano onto the keys 5 and 6, and preferably extends along the whole length of the keyboard 4, thus preventing what would otherwise be an irregular and variable lumination of the keys 5 and 6 by the light reflected from the white music score 12. The score 12 is illuminated by a rectangular illumination about the size and shape of the music score, from a black opaque light shade 14 which is in the form of a vertically elongated truncated pyramid having an opening 15 at the top which may be closed by an opaque plate 16 attached to the shade 14 and through which there extends in the ire upper part of the shade 14 a directional floodlight bulb 16 connected by wires 17 and 18 to the house circuit. The floodlight 16 is in the form of a flared bulb 17 preferably of transparent glass within which there is a transverse filament 18a connected by leads 19 and 20 to the base of the bulb having a spiral thread thereon for insertion into a bulb socket 21, into which it is screwed in the usual manner. This bulb is of such construction, therefore, as to produce, when controlled, a low yellowish light illuminating merely the music score 12, but so as to avoid producing a diffused light of the usual character. Diffusion would destroy the directional characteristics of the light. The light shade 14 is preferably provided with a supporting block 22 at one side thereof which is rotatably mounted, by means of a screw 23, on an extensible flat rod 24 having a series of holes 25 for receiving in any desired one thereof an adjusting screw 26 having a clamping nut 27 on a friction disc 28, through which the screw 26 passes so that the disc 28 frictionally engages with the side of the flat rod 24. The friction disc 28 is formed on the top of a vertically adjustable rod 29, which passes through a clamping ring 30 having therein a locking screw 31 with a handle 32, so as to fasten the rod 29 at any desired point in its elevation. Beneath the clamping ring 30 there may be provided a sleeve 33 having a hook or ring 34 to which may be tied an end 35 of a cord 36 fastened to the outer end of the flat rod 24 in any one of the holes 25 thereof. The lower end of the cord 36 may be wrapped around a hollow standard 37 on which the clamping ring 30 is mounted and within which the rod 29 is vertically slidable. A base 38 is attached to the hollow standard 37, which may be fastened by screws 39 to a platform 40 of fibreboard, supported by the floor and which extends forwardly to a point adjacent the legs 3 of the piano.

On the shade 14, at the lower rear margin thereof, there is preferably provided a flange 41 on which there is supported, by U-shaped spring clips 42 and 43, a substantially horizontal cardboard mask 44 extending completely across about one third of the lower portion of the opening in the lower end of the main lamp shade 14. The said clips 42 and 43 also clamp, onto the said mask 44 and flange 41, a flange 45 at the upper end of a vertically short U-shaped shade 46 open at .its"

lower end, for illuminating the whole keyboard 4, but which is closed at the side adjacent to the open end portion of the shade 14 by an inserted horizontally adjustable baffle 47, which is preferably integral with the mask 44 but bendable thereon. The mask 44, 47 may be made of the same type of material, for instance black mat-surfaced cardboard, as in the case' of the cardboard 9. Furthermore, within the U-shaped shade 46 I provide one or two elongated filament bulbs 48, 49, parallel to the keyboard 4, each of which is made of transparent glass and carries therein throughout the length of the same an incandescent filament 50, preferably a type of bulb lamp known under the name of Lumiline. A switch 51 for the Lumiline bulbs 48 and 49 may be mounted on the side of the U-shaped shade 46. The switch 51 has one lead 52 leading thereto from the house circuit and two other leads 53 and 54 leading therefrom together in series by a wire 55, so that the switch 51 can cut off the current or energize merely the. bulb 48 or illuminate both bulbs 48 and 49. Another lead 56 and the lead 52 are connected to a rheostat 57 having an adjusting hand knob 58, a hand switch 59 of the usual type being located in the wire 52 near the rheostat, if desired. The rheostat 57 may be mounted on a cross-bar 60 secured to legs 61 and 62 on the right-hand side of a piano stool or bench 63, the top of which is covered with sponge rubber 64. On the left-hand side of the piano stool 63, legs 65 and 66 are provided with piano keyboard 4.

a similar cross-bar 67 which supports a variable transformer 68 having an adjusting knob 69. Although a rheostat could be used in place of the transformer 68 and, likewise, a variable transformer could be used instead of the rheostat 57, a variable transformer is preferable for operating the fioodlight where alternating current is available because of lack of heat effects in the variable transformer as compared with a rheostat. The variable transformer 68 is connected to the leads 17 and 18 and if desired a hand switch 70 may be provided in one of the said leads 17 and 18 at the piano stool 63. The legs 61, 62, 65 and 66 of the piano stool are preferably held in place by means of upwardly extending screws 71 passing into the said legs through a wooden base 72 which is fastened by screws 73 to the platform 40.

The piano 1 is located in the usual proximity to the piano stool bench 63 and in such a position that the feet of the performer are conveniently located for operation of piano pedals 74, of which there may be two or three or any other desired number.

In the operation of the invention, the performer will be seated on the bench 63 with his toes in convenient position for operating the pedals 74 and so that the hands can readily operate the keys and 6 of the In this position, the performer will also be so located that he can operate the switch 51 to cut off or operate one or both of the Lumiline bulbs 48 and 49 by the switch 51 or by the operation of the switch 59, and so as to cut off or operate the floodlight bulb 16 by the switch 70. Furthermore, he will be in a position to regulate, as desired, the fioodlight bulb 16 so as to set it at a low intensity by the variable transformer 68 which, due to the low intensity, produces the yellow light which is found to be most desirable for avoiding eye strain. Furthermore, the performer will be in a position to control the intensity of the one or two Lumiline bulbs 48 and 49 by the rheostat 57. All of this can be done at any time during the performance or reading of the music score 12. It will be noted that the arrangement of the shade 14 and the bafile 44, as well as the bafile 47, is such as to throw the rectangular light illumination merely on the score 12, by the course of the rays between the dotted lines 75 and 76, which show the upper and lower limits of the rays from the directional fioodlight 16. The directional feature thereof is important because the score 12 is usually in the form of a book or pamphlet, so that there is a certain amount of shadow visible on the leaves, which adds to the reality of space relation with regard to the different parts of the music score. It will be noted, however, that the light from the rays between the lines 75, 76 does not extend to or over the keyboard 4, and that even the reflection thereof from the white music score and/or from the shiny surfaces of the piano 8 is prevented from reaching the keys 5 and 6 of the keyboard 4 by the cardboard 9. However, it will also be seen that another controlled still lower intensity of light is transmitted from the one or more of the Lumiline bulbs 48 and 49 to the said keys 5 and 6, as indicated by the upper limit of the rays 77, and this illumination will preferably, also, extend to a point down over the knees of the performer as indicated by the dotted line 78 showing the lower limit of said illumination. In this Way, the space relation of the performer with regard to the keys 56 and the score 12 is established and visible at all times. The arrangement is such, furthermore, that the relative intensities of light on the score 12 and on the keys 5 and 6, as well as on the knees of the performer, can be regulated at all times while the performer is still in position while operating the piano keyboard. Preferably, the intensity of the light on the music score 12, while being at a rather low level of intensity of yellow light, is nevertheless made considerably more intense than the still lower level of intensity of the light illuminating the keys 5 and 6 and the knees of the performer. This is because the attention and vision of the performer, during the playing of the music score, must substantially always be focused on the notes of the music score. Although the keys 5 and 6 are within the outer limits the light on the keys 5 and 6 can be maintained at such a low level of intensity as not to divert the attention of the performer from being focused at all times on the notes of the music score.

In this way a maximum excellence of performance can be uniformly attained, particularly in the case of concert pianists who, because of their arduous application to constant practice and performance on the instrument, are relieved from undue strain caused by the constant difiiculty of intense mental concentration. Also, this makes it possible for the performer to maintain his bodily feeling of relaxation and bodily coordination with the instrument, aiding greatly in attaining the needed concentration for performance on the instrument, entirely freed from distratcions and diversions during the performance of a musical selection being performed.

While I have described my invention above in detail I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the same.

I claim:

1. An illuminating apparatus for illuminating keyboard musical instruments, comprising a downwardly directed source of light constructed so as to project light of one intensity downwardly merely onto a rectangular area having the shape and approximate size of a music score, another source of light below said first mentioned source of light supported substantially contiguously together with the first mentioned source of light of another intensity constructed so as to project light simultaneously therewith downwardly merely onto a rectangular area having the shape and approximate size of said keyboard, and an adjustable bafiie mounted to control the light projected from said other source of light between the said projected lights by the adjustment of which the keyboard lighting is restricted.

2. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow-light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide-light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the first mentioned lamp,

having a simultaneous source of light therein, and an insertable light-varying means mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps.

3. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow-light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly-directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide-light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the light exit end of the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein, and an adjustable light-varying baffle mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps.

4. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow-light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide-light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the light exit end of the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein, an adjustable light-varying bafile mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps, a switch for the last mentioned source of light mounted on the subsidiary lamp, and a floor stand with an adjusting arm connected to the main lamp.

5. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow-light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide-light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein, an adjustable light-varying baffle mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps, and a keyboard music score area, adapted to support thereinia music score, illuminated merely by the main source of light and a keyboard area, adapted to have therein a musical instrument keyboard, illuminated merely by the subsidiary source of light.

6. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow-light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide-light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein, an adjustable light-varying batfle mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps, a keyboard music score area, adapted to support therein a music score, illuminated merely by the main source of light, a keyboard area, adapted to have therein a musical instrument keyboard, illuminated merely by the subsidiary source of light, and a non-reflecting area between the location of the music score area and the keyboard area which is nearer to the instrument performer than said music score area.

7. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein cut off from the main lamp, an adjustable light-varying bafile mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps, and a keyboard musical instrument having a music score rest thereon illuminated merely by the main source of light and a keyboard illuminated merely by the subsidiary source of light.

8. An illuminating apparatus, comprising a relatively narrow light-emitting main rectangular lamp having a downwardly directed source of light in the same, a subsidiary relatively wide light-emitting downwardly directed rectangular lamp located below the first mentioned lamp, having a simultaneous source of light therein cut ofi from the main lamp, an adjustable light-varying baflle mounted for varying the subsidiary light, located between the light rays emitted by the two lamps, a keyboard musical instrument having a music score rest thereon illuminated merely by the subsidiary source of light, and a nonrefiecting screen on the instrument between the location of the music score and the keyboard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 925,086 Furniss June 15, 1909 1,606,200 Williams Nov. 9, 1926 1,796,191 Doll Mar. 10, 1931 1,811,333 Rasmussen June 23, 1931 1,847,051 Zabach Feb. 23, 1942 2,557,129 McDaid June 19, 1951 2,567,403 Rockola Sept. 11, 1951 2,659,038 Heyer Nov. 10, 1953 

